Welcome to this edition of Dimanche (That Means Sunday), a roundup of things that caught my eye this past week.

This past week was a whirlwind. ‘Tis the season of holiday parties, which also means holiday madness. I had one event after another at work and frankly, I’m starting to get reallll tired of it. But that’s okay because we’re coming down the home stretch and in a couple weeks, social obligations will be behind me and life will resume as usual (maybe? hopefully).

When I wasn’t preparing for or attending holiday work functions this week, I was tracking politics. Alabama held its special election Tuesday for the senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, and in a Hanukkah miracle, Doug Jones won. I was ecstatic to say the least.

While the country still has a long way to go in terms of Trump opposition and Democratic coalition, this represents a much-needed victory. It makes me slightly more optimistic about the future of American politics and the direction our country is going in. We’ll have to see what happens in 2018 mid-term elections but for now, I’m riding slightly higher knowing that voters turned out for the right candidate.

Without further ado, here is Dimanche:

It’s officially hot chocolate season and one of my favorite places to get a cup is Bissinger’s in the Central West End. Bissinger’s has been around for a while in St. Louis and it recently opened a new establishment with breakfast and lunch fare called Handcrafted by Bissinger’s. On the coldest day last week, I walked a mile to the shop and settled down with a cup of their rich hot chocolate and a homemade marshmallow. It was the perfect midday break.

Can we talk about “Cat Person”? The story has been getting a lot of mixed reviews since it was published in last week’s issue of The New Yorker. Personally, I’m not a fan. I think the writing is subpar and the interiority of the main character is lukewarm at best. Some people love the story though. I’ll let you decide for yourself.

The end of the year often means reflection and I did some reminiscing about my favorite dining moments of 2017. You can check out my roundup here. I think about the charred avocados I ate at Erven in Santa Monica almost everyday, which probably means I need to go back soon.

I am in love with this brave, compelling story from Salma Hayek in the NYT. Hayek came forward and described her horrific experiences working with Harvey Weinstein while making her award-winning film, “Frida.” This line stuck with me:

It’s time to invest in 2018 planners. I always end up buying a planner that has the previous year and the year I actually need it for, probably because I make the same mistake every year. Oh well. I bought this one last week. I love Rifle prints.

This story about “anti-Trump Republicans” in The New Yorker got me really fired up this week. In my opinion, there is no such thing as “anti-Trump Republicans.” With the exception of maybe two lawmakers, the Republican party has been complicit in Trump’s madness. Silence does not equal opposition. Anyone who doesn’t speak out is a Trump opportunist and coward.

In more optimistic news, I went on a long hike yesterday through Castlewood State Park and Faust Park (see the photo at the top of this post). It was 69 degrees in December so I wanted to take advantage. I got to the top of a big hill in Faust Park and I got emotional, partly because I was so happy that it was warm in December. But also, I was struck by the forest’s beauty. It made me realize that beauty is everywhere, as long as you can find it.

My mom gifted me a cookbook from Chef Vivian Howard for Hanukkah and I’m pretty amped about it. I can’t wait to make some of her recipes, especially the ones for sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite winter ingredients.

Enjoy your week! May it bring bottomless cups of hot chocolate, holiday gifts, time spent with your favorite people, and reprieve from work or school. Here’s a song to get you started.